Fashion See the History of Fashion

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Look back and see what fashion

was like in the early ages

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When Did Fashion begin?

Fashion is an innate part of the

human condition. Since humans

started covering up with leaves and

fashioning sarongs and clothing out

of animal skin hide, fashion has

existed. After all, to have fashion,

you must first have clothing." Lisa

Bower

Once people started putting

on clothing, they then began to pay

attention to how the garments

looked on their body's. In a very short

about of time, spools of thread

started spinning, and

cloths were put into certain

patterns and clothing.

The very first kinds of

clothing began with animal skins,

leaves and bones. researchers say

that at first clothing was draped or

tied with plant vines and other

materials. soon after they invented

the needle, people began sewing

leather and fur to make more

intricate and complex pieces of

clothing

"Woven fibers were discovered as

an easy alternative to the tough

quality of leather. The clothing was

woven using techniques learned

from basket weaving. Until the

sewing machine was invented

during the mid-1770s, people

sewed everything by hand. The

introduction and

commercialization of the sewing

machine made clothing easier and

cheaper to make and produce."

Fashion-wise, most nations'

royalty and upper classes

controlled fashion trends. The

phrase fashion police is more than

a joke: during the Middle Ages,

certain fabrics were reserved for

royalty. If you were seen wearing

certain styles of clothing or

wearing certain fabrics, you could

be fined or imprisoned. In fact, one

of the reasons that Pairs became

a hub for fashion was Louis XIV

interest in fashion.

Before sewing machines and

ready-to-wear clothing was sold in

stores, each and every piece of

clothing was made to the specific

measurements of an individual. As

clothing stores came into vogue,

clothing became less expensive

and fashion became more

accessible

The roaring 20's and 30’sFashion

The word "flapper" first appeared

in Great Britain after World War I.

It was there used to describe

young girls, still somewhat

awkward in movement who had not

yet entered womanhood. In the

June 1922 edition of the Atlantic

Monthly, G.”

"At the beginning of this decade,

skirts were still long, almost ankle-

length. It was not until 1924 that

skirts really became shorter,

reaching mid-calf even for evening

wear. The shortest skirts of the

decade, stopping just below the knee,

appeared in 1926-1927. In the last

few years of the decade, skirts often

used panels, drapes, and pointed

segments to achieve uneven

hemlines. This led to a lengthening of

the hemline by decade's end.

Evening dresses were generally

sleeveless, with deep V or U-shaped

necklines. Decorations included

beading, which sometimes covered an

entire dress, as well as fringe and

even feathers.

As skirts became shorter,

necklaces, particularly strings of

pearls, became longer. Tan or flesh

colored stockings were popular.

Short hair was universally popular

throughout the decade. Those who

chose to retain their long hair wore it

pulled back into deep waves over the

ears. It was then coiled into a chignon

or knot at the nape of the neck.

Makeup was obvious, with red lips,

powdered skin, and dark eyes."

The 20's was a new decade

for women the express a

new fashions, women were free to

ware dresses that showed there

shape and figure. This was a new

movement that travied

fast through the world

Fashion Trends of the '40s and '50s

Fashion from the 1940s is such a classic

look that it never really goes out of

style.You'll find that almost anywhere you

go wearing 1940s fashions, you will get a

lot of positive attention. This article

explains the look of the times and aims to

help you convert clothing from current

times to carry a more 1940s flair, as well

as giving some key tips on hairstyles,

accessories, shoes and other relevant

items.

Why 60s and 70s fashion has

stuck around

While other fashions come and go, we seem

to have retained an awful lot of the popular

clothes from the seventies. This was a

decade that saw a lot of change in itself.

There was greater freedom carried over

from the sixties, as well as political

attitudes shifting. Vietnam and Watergate

saw a disillusioned and cautious US, with

the proud and shameless attitudes that

had defined the austerity of the post war

years finally fading away. So why has have

the clothes stayed with us?

Seventies fashion feels nostalgic even to

people that weren’t there, and that’s largely

thanks to movies and TV. Younger

generations that had no part in the actual

times feel connected sentimentally to the

looks of the era via vicarious media, and as a

result much of the fashion is recognisable,

and applauded, today. Something that’s

different about the 70s compared to say

the 60s or 80s, is that so much of the

fashion seems to have been retained from

that era.

Part of this is because our fashions have

been defined by designers that made their

names in the 70s. Calvin Klein and Ralph

Lauren, the two rival designers from the

Jewish quarter of the Bronx, managed

create multimillion-dollar industries in the

70s. And from there they’ve never really

faded in popularity. As a result, tight jeans

or polo shirts have always had their place in

the fashion of subsequent decades.

New attitudes brought about more

practical thinking towards clothes as fewer

limitations on what was OK. People were

hung over from the bright excesses of the

sixties and well aware of the subjugation of

women through clothing too, so in the

seventies there’s a trend towards modest,

practical clothing. There are hippy

influences, but also a sense of normality.

80s fashion

1. Shoulder Pads and Power Suits

Nothing screamed “money” and “power”

in the 80s like having massive shoulders,

and since shoulder implants weren't the

norm, people opted to pad their clothing.

Men rocked the power suit in hopes of

looking like they stepped off the set of

Wall Street, and women overlooked the

oxymoronic notion of trying to look

feminine in sweaters and business attire

that gave them linebacker shoulders.

2. Dance Wear

Women loved to rock the Jane Fonda

look in the 80s, and the release of

Flashdance in 1983 further cemented

the three l's (leotards, leggings, and leg

warmers) into every fashion-conscious

female's closet. Throw in a baggy, off-

the-shoulder sweater and you could be

mistaken for Jennifer Beals herself

without having to lean back and douse

yourself with water. Dance wear has

made somewhat of a comeback in

today's fashion, but their neon hues

seem to have (thankfully) been left

behind.

3. Miniskirts and

Lace

The tighter and shorter the skirt, the

better. Lycra crossed over from the

sporting goods world and into high

fashion, making miniskirts snug and

stretchy. Combine that with some frilly

fabric and you've got a look that would

make the most die-hard Madonna fan

jealous. Lace and tight fits weren't just

for underwear anymore; in fact, many

women even began to adopt the

“underwear as outerwear” look and

flaunted themselves in lacy bustiers to

emulate the Material Girl.

4. Ray-Ban

Thank Tom Cruise for twice ushering

Ray-Ban into mainstream fashion, first

with his underwear-clad slide across the

floor while wearing Wayfarers in Risky

Business, and secondly with his cocky,

Aviator-sporting pilot role in Top Gun.

Thanks to numerous product placement

deals in various blockbuster movies,

Ray-Ban went from forgettable in the

1970s to absolutely necessary

throughout the 80s.

90s fashion

2000’s fashion

Today’s Fashion